Across the world, managing water scarcity faces a seemingly insurmountable dilemma. The solution to groundwater depletion (reducing water use in the most consumptive sector, i.e. agriculture), poses a problem in itself. How is it possible to protect water resources for present and future generations, while safeguarding food security and farmer livelihoods?
Groundwater is a vital resource sustaining agricultural livelihoods all around the globe. Research of the Morwick G360 Groundwater Research Institute studies the impact of groundwater depletion on agriculture and the communities that depend on groundwater for irrigation. As part of an international comparative study, we interviewed rural farmers in the corn/wheat basket of China (North China Plain) to better understand farmer perceptions of and adaptation to groundwater depletion.
